Hindustan Abdul Ahad et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2011,4(3),

Transcription

1 Research Article ISSN: Hindustan Abdul Ahad et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2011,4(3), Available online through Fabrication of Glimepiride Aloe barbadensis Miller Leaves Mucilage and Povidone Sustained Release Matrix Tablets: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation Hindustan Abdul Ahad 1 *, Sreeramulu J 2, Hima Bindu V 3, Guru Prakash 1, Sravanthi M 1 1 Department of Pharmaceutics, College of pharmacy, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur , Andhra Pradesh, INDIA, 2 Department of Chemistry, Analytical Lab, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur,Andhra Pradesh, India 3 Center for Environment, IST, JNT University, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, INDIA, Received on: ; Revised on: ; Accepted on: ABSTRACT The main objective of the present study was to formulate matrix tablets of Glimepiride with Aloe barbadensis miller leaves mucilage and Povidone and to study its application as a matrix forming polymer for sustained release tablet formulations. Physicochemical properties of the dried powdered mucilage of Aloe barbadensis miller mucilage and Povidone blend, drug-excipient compatibility, pre formulation, post formulation, in vitro drug release studies, mathematical modeling and in vivo hypoglycemic effects in rabbits, which were found to be satisfactory. The data revealed that the dried Aloe barbadensis miller mucilage and Povidone combination can be used as a matrix forming polymers for making sustained release matrix tablets. Key words: Glimepiride, Aloe barbadensis miller, Povidone, matrix tablets, in vitro, in vivo sustained release. INTRODUCTION The mucilage of Aloe barbadensis miller leaves clinically and experimentally proved antidiabetic activity 1 and release retardant activity in the present study. Glimepiride is an oral hypoglycemic agent, which is a commonly prescribed drug for the treatment of patients with type II diabetes mellitus. It belongs to sulfonyl urea drug class. Glimepiride is a weak acid with PKa of 6.2. Glimepiride is practically insoluble in water and acidic environment but highly permeable (class 2) according to the Biopharmaceutical classification System (BCS) 2. The oral absorption is uniform, rapid and complete with nearly 100% bioavailability. The normal dose 3 of Glimepiride is 1to2 mg. The pharmacokinetics and dosage schedule supports once daily sustained release formulations for Glimepiride for better control of blood glucose levels to prevent hypoglycemia, enhance clinical efficacy and patient compliance 4. The main objective of present research is to design sustained release tablets of Glimepiride using Aloe barbadensis miller leaves mucilage and Povidone combination and to evaluate both in vitro and in vivo parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS Materials Glimepiride was a gift sample from Dr. Reddy s Laboratories, Hyderabad, India. Aloe barbadensis miller leaves were collected from plants growing in local areas of Anantapur, India. The plant was authenticated at the Botany Department of Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, India. Povidone, Micro crystalline cellulose (Avicel) and Magnesium stearate were procured from SD Fine chemicals (Mumbai, India). All other chemicals used were of analytical reagent grade and deionized water was used throughout the experiment. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Extraction of mucilage The fresh Aloe barbadensis miller leaves were collected and washed with water. Incisions were made on the leaves and left over night. The leaves were crushed and soaked in water for 5 6 hours, boiled for 30 minutes and left to stand for 1hour to allow complete release of the mucilage into the water. The mucilage was extracted using a multi layer muslin cloth bag to remove the marc from the solution. Acetone (three times the volume of filtrate) was added to precipitate the mucilage. The so precipitated mucilage was dried in an oven at 40 0 C, collected, ground, passed through a # 80 sieve and stored in desiccator at 30 0 C & 45% relative humidity till use 5. Purification of the Mucilage The crude mucilage (1 %) was homogenized (Potter homogenizer) with cold dilute trichloro acetic acid solution (5%). The solution was centrifuged (3500 rpm for 20 minutes), neutralized with sodium hydroxide by drop wise addition and then dialyzed for 30 hours against distilled *Corresponding author. Hindustan Abdul Ahad Department of Pharmaceutics, College of pharmacy, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur , Andhra Pradesh, INDIA,, Tel.: Fax.: abdulhindustan@rediffmail.com water. The mucilage was precipitated with ethanol (in the quantities of three times the volumes) and washed successively with ethanol, acetone and diethyl ether 6, 7. The mucilage so obtained was dried under vacuum (less than 1 Torr at 25 C for 12hours). The so obtained mucilage was passed through a # 80 sieve and stored in desiccator at 30 C & 45% relative humidity till use. Characterization of Mucilage The collected mucilage was evaluated for physical characteristics 8, 9 viz., Appearance, Odour, Solubility, percentage yield, average particle size, swelling ratio, weight loss on drying, ph, Charring, density and bio burden. Chemical characteristics for identification, test for Carbohydrates, test for Tannins, test for chloride, test for sulphate, test for Uronic acid. The limits of unwanted chemicals 10, 11 viz., foreign matter, heavy metal and Arsenic were also performed. The flow properties 12 viz., Angle of repose, Bulk densities, compressibility index and Hausner s ratio were determined. All these evaluations were carried out as per procedures describe in official books. Drug-excipient compatibility studies DSC analysis was performed using DSC 60, Shimadzu, Japan. A 1:1 ratio of drug and excipient was weighed into aluminum crucible. And sample was analyzed by heating at a scanning rate of 20 0 C over a temperature range under nitrogen environment. FTIR spectra were recorded on samples prepared in potassium bromide (KBr) disks using a Hitachi IR spectrophotometer, Japan. Samples were prepared in KBr disks by means of a hydrostatic press at 6-8 tons pressure. The scanning range was 500 to 4000 cm -1. Preparation of matrix tablets Sustained release Glimepiride matrix tablets with Aloe barbadensis miller leave mucilage and Povidone were prepared by using different drug: mucilage ratios. Aloe barbadensis miller leaves mucilage and Povidone were used as matrix forming materials while microcrystalline cellulose as a diluent and Magnesium stearate as a lubricant. All ingredients used were passed through a # 100 sieve, weighed and blended. Wet granulation technique was adopted in preparing the granules and compressed by using 10 mm flat faced punches 13. The formulae of different matrix tablets were shown in Table 4. Post compression parameters Swelling behavior of matrix tablets The extent of swelling was measured in terms of % weight gain by the tablet. The swelling behavior of formulation GAP-1, GAP-2, GAP-3, GAP-4 and GAP-5 were studied. One tablet from each formulation was kept in a Petri dish containing phosphate ph 7.4. At the end of 2 hours, the tablet was withdrawn, kept on tissue paper and weighed, repeated for every 2 hours till the end of 12 hours 14. The % weight gain by the tablet was calculated by the equation 1. S.I = {(M t -M 0 ) / M 0 } X 100 (1) Where, S.I = Swelling Index, M t = Weight of tablet at time t and M o = Weight of tablet at time 0. Thickness and diameter The thickness and diameter of the tablets was measured by Vernier Calipers. It is expressed in mm.

2 Hindustan Abdul Ahad et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2011,4(3), Weight Variation 20 tablets were selected at random and average weights were determined. Then individual tablet weights were compared with mean tablet weight 15. Hardness The hardness of the tablet was determined using a Pfizer hardness tester 15. It is expressed in kg / cm 2. Friability Roche Friabilator was used for the determination of the friability of the tablets. It is expressed in percentage (%). 20 tablets were initially weighed (W initial ) and transferred into the friabilator. The friabilator was operated at 25 rpm for 4 minutes 15 (100 revolutions). The tablets were weighed again (W final ). The % friability was then calculated by equation 2. F = W initial - W final / W initial X 100 (2) Content uniformity Twenty tablets were taken and amount of drug present in each tablet was determined. The tablets were crushed in a mortar and the powder equivalent to 2mg of drug was transferred to 100ml standard flask.the powder was dissolved in 5ml of Methanol and made up to volume with 0.1N HCl. The sample was mixed thoroughly and filtered through a 0.45µ membrane filter. The filtered solution was diluted suitably and analyzed for drug content by UV spectrophotometer at a λ max of 230 nm using 0.1 N Hydrochloric acid as blank. Estimation of Glimepiride An ultraviolet spectrophotometric method based on measurement of absorbance at 230 nm in Phosphate buffer of ph 7.4.The concentration range of 1-20 µg/ml was obeyed Beer-Lambert s law. The accuracy and Precision were found to be 95% and 1.15% respectively (5 trials). No interference was observed during this study with excipients used. In vitro drug release studies Release of Glimepiride from the matrix tablets was studied in 900 ml phosphate buffer (ph 7.4) using United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) 8-station Dissolution Rate Test Apparatus (Model Electro lab, TDT- 06T, Mumbai, India) with 50 rpm paddle speed and 37 ± C. A sample of Glimepiride matrix tablets (2 mg of Glimepiride) was used in each test. Samples of dissolution fluid were withdrawn through a filtered (0.45 µm) at different time intervals and were assayed at 230 nm for Glimepiride content 16 using a UV/visible double-beam spectrophotometer (Elico SL 210, Mumbai, India). The in vitro drug release studies were conducted in triplicate (n = 3). Drug release kinetics To analyze the mechanism of drug release from the prepared formulations, the data obtained from in vitro release studies were subjected to, Zero order, first order, Higuchi, Korsmeyer peppa s and Hixson Crowell s models Scanning Electron Microscopy Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) (JSM 5610 LV SEM, JEOL, Datum Ltd., Japan) of tablet (F5) was performed before and different intervals of dissolution. The morphological characters of these scans were compared to hypothesize the mechanism of drug release. In Vivo study Normal healthy rabbits weighing 1.5 to 2.0 kg each were used for the in vivo studies. The Institutional Animal Ethics Committee s approval was obtained before the commencement of the study. The study was conducted as per standard institutional guidelines. Two groups of rabbits with 5 in each were fasted 12hours before the study 21. Before the administration of drug, a blood sample was taken from the marginal ear vein each rabbit (control). The blood glucose levels of the collected samples were determined using the glucose oxidase method. Pure Glimepiride and matrix tablets Glimepiride were administered orally to each group. A dose of 160 µg/kg of Glimepiride was administrated in a form of suspension for each rabbit. Blood samples were collected at regular intervals of time (at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20 and 24hours) and analyzed for blood glucose levels with glucose oxidase method. Accelerated Stability Studies of optimized matrix tablets The promising formulation was tested for a period of 3 months at different temperatures of 40 0 C with 75% RH, for their drug content 22. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Characterization of Mucilage The extracted mucilage was in brownish yellow in colour with a characteristic odour. The mucilage was slowly soluble in water produces hage viscous solution. The percentage yield was 23 ±2.173%. The Average particle size was found to be ±10.265µm. The weight loss on drying was 4.20±2.573, the mucilage was charred at 220± C and the bio burden was minimal. All the physical properties were represented in Table 1. The mucilage gave all positive reactions as a polysaccharide and the heavy metals present in the mucilage were within the limits. The chemical properties of the mucilage were shown in Table 2. The angle of repose of extracted mucilage was found to be 27.0± indicates the powdered mucilage has excellent flow properties. The bulk densities of the dried mucilage were utilized for calculating the compressibility index which was 21.6±0.02%, which indicates fair compression properties which were improved by the addition of magnesium stearate in the formulation. The flow properties of Aloe barbadensis miller leaves mucilage was shown in Table 3. Table 1: Physical characterization of Aloe barbadensis miller leaves mucilage Physical Properties Table 2: Chemical characterization of Aloe barbadensis miller leaves fruit mucilage Chemical properties Mounted in 96% ethanol Transparent angular masses Mounted in ruthenium red Particles stained red Mounted in Iodine solution Particles stained blue Test for Carbohydrate (Mollish test) +ve Test for Tannins (Ferric chloride test) Test for chloride (Silver-nitrate test) Test for Sulphate (Barium chloride test) Test for Uronic acid +ve Test for foreign matter (%) NMT 0.1 Test for heavy metal (lead) 23 ppm Test for Arsenic <1 ppm Ppm = Parts per million; NMT = Not more than; +ve = Positive; = Negative Table 3: Flow properties of Aloe barbadensis miller leaves mucilage Flow properties Angle of repose (θ ) 27.0±0.05 Loose Bulk density (g/cm 3 ) 0.55±0.04 Tapped bulk density(g/cm 3 ) 0.74±0.04 Carr s Index (%) 21.6±0.02 Hausner s ratio 1.36±0.01 Number of trials (n)=5 Table 4: Formulae of matrix tablets Ingredients (mg) s GAP-1 GAP-2 GAP-3 GAP-4 GAP-5 Glimepiride Aloe barbadensis miller leaves dried mucilage Povidone Micro crystalline cellulose (Avicel) Magnesium stearate Total weight of tablet Table 5: Physical properties of formulated matrix tablets Thickness Hardness Friability Drug content (mm) (kg/cm 2 ) (%) (%) GAP-1 4.3± ± ± ±3.95 GAP-2 4.9± ± ± ±5.25 GAP-3 4.4± ± ± ±2.56 GAP-4 4.4± ± ± ±5.68 GAP-5 4.5± ± ± ±3.94 Table 6: Zero order modeling of matrix tablets Zero Order Slope Regression coefficient(r) k value GAP GAP GAP GAP GAP Table 7: First order modeling of matrix tablets First Order Slope Regression coefficient (r) k value GAP GAP GAP GAP GAP Table 8: Higuchi modeling of matrix tablets Appearance Brownish yellow powder Odour Characteristic Solubility Slowly soluble in water produces hage viscous solution Percent yield (g /kg) 23 ±2.173 Average particle size (µm) ± Weight loss on drying (mg) 4.20±2.573 Swelling Index (%) 45±3.841 ph 7.0±0.56 Charring ( 0 C) 220±4.52 Density of liquid (0.5% w/v) 0.997±0.055 Microbial count (cfu/g) Bacteria:5 ; Fungi: 2 Cfu = Colony forming units Higuchi s values Slope (n) Regression co-efficient (r) GAP GAP GAP GAP GAP

3 Table 9: Korsmeyer Peppa s modeling of matrix tablets Korsmeyer Peppa s values Slope (n) Regression co-efficient (r) GAP GAP GAP GAP GAP Table 10: Hixson-Crowell s modeling of matrix tablets Hindustan Abdul Ahad et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2011,4(3), Hixson-Crowell s values Slope (n) Regression co-efficient (r) GAP GAP GAP GAP GAP Table 11: Mean % Reduced blood glucose levels with GAP-5 matrix tablets Time (h) Mean Reduced blood glucose levels (%) Group-I (Control) Glimepiride(p.0) Group-II GAP-5 Fig. 2: The DSC thermo gram of matrix tablets 0 (basal BGL) 0.00± ± ±2.65** 25.41±2.10*** ±2.48** 27.89±1.49*** ±1.98** 33.01±2.15*** ±2.54** 36.38±3.01*** ±2.68** 40.69±2.78*** ±1.26** 39.81±0.91*** ±0.00** 38.89±1.54*** ±0.00** 33.88±2.54*** ±0.00** 36.39±0.36*** Number of animals (n) = 6; BGL- Blood Glucose Level P**<0.01=highly significant and P***<0.001= very highly significant when compared with normal control group. Table 12: Summary of physicochemical properties of GAP-5 matrix tablets before and after accelerated stability studies Parameter Before After stability studies stability studies (90 days) Thickness (mm) 4.5± ±0.52 Diameter (mm) 8.01± ±0.318 Weight of the tablet (mg) ± ±5.4 Hardness (kg/cm 2 ) 6.40± ±0.19 Friability (%) 0.84± ±0.06 Drug content (%) 99.97± ±4.52 Fig. 3: IR Spectrum of Glimepiride Pure drug Fig. 4: IR Spectrum of Placebo tablets Fig. 1: The DSC thermo gram of Glimepiride Drug-excipient compatibility studies The DSC scan of Glimepiride showed a short endothermic peak at C. The thermo gram of formulated matrix tablets with Aloe barbadensis miller leaves mucilage and Povidone showed an endothermic peak of drug at C indicating a slight change in terms of shifting towards the lower temperature. It has been reported that the quantity of material used effects the peak shape and enthalpy. Thus these minor changes in the melting endotherm in the drug could be due to the mixing of the drug and excipients which lower the purity of each component in the mixture and may not necessarily indicate potential incompatibility. The DSC thermo gram of Glimepiride and the formulated matrix tablet blend were shown in Fig. 1 and 2. The IR spectrum of Glimepiride and the matrix tablets of Glimepiride were showed in Fig. 3, 4 and 5. The characteristic bands , , , , and were observed both in pure Glimepiride and Glimepiride Aloe barbadensis miller leaves mucilage and Povidone mixture. This indicates that there is no chemical incompatibility between Glimepiride and the polymers (Aloe barbadensis miller leaves mucilage and Povidone) used. Swelling Index of the tablets The formulated tablets were shown uniformity of swelling in sustained manner. The swelling indexes of formulated tablets were shown in Fig. 6. The formulated tablets pass uniformity in weight (less than ±7.5%) which was within the limits as per Indian Pharmacopoeia. The thickness of formulated tablets was ranged from 4.3±0.21 to 4.9±0.15 mm indicating the uniformity in weight. The hardness of the tablets was ranged from 5.10±1.40 to 6.50±1.45 kg/cm 2, which were more than 5 kg/cm 2 and passes hardness test. The loss on friability was more than 1% which was within the limits. The amount of Glimepiride in formulated tablets was ranged from 99.84±2.56 to ±5.25%. All these physical properties of formulated matrix tablets were shown in Table 5. In vitro drug release and Kinetic modeling of in vitro dissolution data The formulated tablets released more than 30% of the drug in first 1 hour and further release was in sustained manner in zero order. Since these plots did not yield a straight line, the dissolution data was subjected to linear regression analysis (r) in zero order kinetics was (for GAP-5) and the r values obtained for first order kinetics was found to be (for GAP- 5). Since greater degree of association best fitted with zero order kinetic models. It can be concluded that, all the matrix tablets followed zero order kinetics as the release pattern of the drug. The r values for remaining formulations were represented in Table 6 and 7 respectively and these values were shown in Fig. 7 and 8.

4 Hindustan Abdul Ahad et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2011,4(3), Fig. 5: IR Spectrum of formulated matrix tablets Fig. 9: Higuchi Plots Fig. 10: Korsmeyer Peppa s Plots Fig. 6: Swelling Index of matrix tablets Fig. 11: Hixson-Crowell s Plots Fig. 7: Zero order release Plots Fig. 8: First order release Plots The in Vitro drug dissolution data when treated according to Higuchi s diffusion equation (Q=Kt ½ ) indicated that the formulations released the drug by diffusion which was shown in Fig. 9 and represented in Table 8. Further to know the release pattern of Glimepiride from the matrix tablets, the results were analyzed according to Korsmeyer Peppa s exponential equation (q = K t n ). The slope n was computed to know whether the release was Fickian or non- Fickian. For non-fickian release ( n values = 0.5to 1.0), while for Fickian diffusion ( n value Fig. 12: Surface morphology of matrix tablets at time intervals of 0, 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd hour of dissolution = 0.5). The slope value for optimized Glimepiride matrix tablets (GAP-5) was The values of n were more than 0.5. So, the GAP-5 matrix tablets follow the non-fickian release. These values were tabulated in Table 9 and shown in Fig. 10. The in-vitro drug release data was further plotted as (1-m t /m ) 1/3 verses time proposed by Hixson Crowell s to verify

5 Hindustan Abdul Ahad et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2011,4(3), CONCLUSIONS The present study revealed that Aloe barbadensis miller leaves mucilage and Povidone combination appears to be suitable for use as a release retardant in the manufacture of sustained release matrix tablets because of its good swelling, good flow and suitability for matrix formulations. From the dissolution study, it was concluded that dried Aloe barbadensis miller leaves mucilage can be used as an excipient for making sustained release matrix tablets. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors are thankful to Dr. Reddy s Laboratories, Hyderabad, India for providing the pure drug sample. Fig. 13: Reduced blood glucose levels (%) of optimized Glimepiride matrix tablets (GAP-5) vs. Glimepiride oral control whether the drug release is by erosion mechanism. Fig. 11 shows the plots of (1-m t /m ) 1/3 vs. Time and shown in Table 10. The r value was found to be for the formulation GAP- 5. This observation showed that the drug release from the formulated matrix tablets was fitted well to the erosion mechanism. The slope of line indicated that the rate of disappearance of the tablets by erosion. The slope was calculated and it was found to be for matrix tablets. Scanning Electron Microscopic analysis The surface morphology of optimized matrix tablets (GAP-5) at time intervals of 0, 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd hour of dissolution showed that the release of drug form the dosage form was by diffusion sustained and shown in Fig. 12. In vivo drug release studies The mean % Reduced blood glucose levels with Glimepiride matrix tablets (GAP-5) was represented in Table 11 and shown in Fig. 13. And the GAP-5 shown very highly significant values (P***<0.001) compared with orally given Glimepiride pure drug. Accelerated Stability Studies of optimized matrix tablets The promising formulation was tested for a period of 3 months at accelerated storage conditions of temperatures 40 0 C and the relative humidity of 75% RH. The parameters viz., Thickness, diameter, weight of the tablet, hardness, friability and drug content showed no much variation even after accelerated stability studies. The results of stability data was represented in Table 12. REFERENCES 1. Boudreau MD, Beland FA, An evaluation of the biological and toxicological properties of Aloe barbadensis (miller), Aloe vera. Journal of environmental science and health. Part C, Environmental carcinogenesis & ecotoxicology reviews. 2006, 24, 1, Amidon, G.L.; Lennernäs, H.; Shah, V.P.; Crison, J.R.; A Theoretical Basis for a Biopharmaceutical Drug Classification: The Correlation of In Vitro Drug Product Dissolution and In Vivo Bioavailability. Pharm. Res. 1995, 12, Gorus FK, Schuit FC, Intveld PA. Interaction of sulfonyl ureas with pancreatic beta cells-a study with Glimepiride. Diabetes. 1988, 37, Ikegami H, Shima K, Tanaka A, Tahara Y, Hirota M et al. Interindividual variation in the absorption of Glimepiride in man. Acta Endocrinol Copenh. 1986, 111, Jamzad S and Fassihi R, Development of sustained release low dose class II drug-glimepiride, Int. J. Pharm. 2006, 312, Sumathi, S., Ray A.R. Release behavior of drugs from tamarind seed polysaccharide tablets. J. Pharm. Pharmaceut. Sci. 2002, 51, Kokate C.K., Practical Pharmacognosy, 3 rd Ed, Vallabh Prakashan, Delhi, 1991, PP Ghule B.V., Darwhekar G.D., Jain D.K., Yeole P.G. Evaluation of binding properties of Eulophia campestris wall mucilage Indian J. Pharm. Sci. 2006, 68, 5, Martin Alfred. Physical Pharmacy. 4th ed. Maryland, USA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 1991, pp Aulton M.E. Pharmaceutics-The Science of Dosage Forms Design. 2nd ed. London: Churchill Livingstone. 1988, pp Lachman L, Lieberman HA, Kanig JL. The Theory and Practice of Industrial Pharmacy. Philadelphia, PA: Lea and Febiger. 1987, Carr, R.L.: Classifying flow properties of solids, Chem. Engng. 1965, 72, 3, pp Khullar P, Khar RK, Agarwal SP. Evaluation of guar gum in the preparation of sustained-release matrix tablets. Drug Dev Ind Pharm. 1998, 24, Killedar S.G,Bhagwat D.A, Adnaik R.S,More H.N.and D souza J.I. optimization of method for determination of swelling factor of Ispaghula husk seeds, Indian Drugs, 2008, 45 (4), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Indian Pharmacopoeia, the Controller of Publications, New Delhi. 2008, 5 th ed., A Hadjiioannou TP, Christian GD, Koupparis MA and Macheras PE. Quantitative Calculations in Pharmaceutical Practice and Research, VCH Publishers Inc., New York, 1993, pp Bourne DWA. Pharmacokinetics. In: Banker GS, Rhodes CT, Modern Pharmaceutics, 4th ed., Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, 2002, pp Higuchi T. Mechanism of sustained action medication. Theoretical analysis of rate of release of solid drugs dispersed in solid matrices. J.Pharm. Sci. 1963, 52, Korsmeyer RW, von Meerwall E and Peppas NA. Solute and penetrant diffusion in swellable polymers. II. Verification of theoretical models. J. Polym. Sci. Polym. Phys. Ed. 1986, 24, Hixson AW and Crowell JH. Dependence of reaction velocity upon surface and agitation, theoretical consideration. Ind. Eng. Chem. 1931, 23, Patel JK, Patel RP, Amin AF, Patel MM. and Evaluation of Mucoadhesive Glimepiride Microspheres. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2005, 06, 1, E49-E Remunan C, Bretal M, Nunez A, Bila Jato JL. Accelerated stability of sustained release tablet prepared with Gelucire. Int J Pharm. 1992, 80, Source of support: Nil, Conflict of interest: None Declared